Naruto Fanfiction: A New Season
by ApprovingBoat85
Summary: A New Season takes place about 12 years after the 5 Kage Summit Arc. Naruto Uzumaki, The Sixth Hokage, has been K.I.A. by a man who's sole desire is to control all of the Hidden Villages. And with the 5th Shinobi World War fast approaching, it looks as though he may have his way. See the canon characters in adulthood, and meet all new characters as well! Enjoy reading :)


Naruto Fanfic: A New Season

Prologue: The Loss of a Hero

Rain fell onto the heads and shoulders of the hundreds of Konohagakure citizens who had gathered here, shinobi and civilian. They stood in neatly formed rows, staring at the beautifully adorned coffin that was the focus of this ceremony. Feelings of sadness and loss were genuinely felt by everyone who had attended, and those who were not present were simply too grief stricken to be seen.

Funerals seemed to be an all too common occurrence these days. With the Fifth Shinobi World War fast approaching, little could be done. Ties between the hidden villages were becoming stressed. Some villages had even sent some of their finest shinobi to another village in hopes that they would help strengthen the existing alliances.

On the casket, a framed photograph of a blonde haired shinobi with bright blue eyes full of joy reflected the light from the candles, creating a white streak across his chest. Three unexplainable lines could be clearly seen on the cheeks of this well respected shinobi. A flowing white cloak rested on his shoulders, covering an orange jumpsuit with black accents, and on his back hung the hat worn by all the Hokage before him. His long shaggy hair looked almost identical to that of his fathers', Minato Namikaze.

This was the funeral of Naruto Uzumaki, the Sixth Hokage, and arguably one of the greatest to have ever lived. The cloth covering his casket was a bright red color instead of the usual white, as were the flowers which had been placed there by Ino Yamanaka. Many who had gathered held a single flower as well, ranging in color from black to pink. A kunai rested on the lid of the casket, placed there by the late Hokage's once student and long time friend, Konohamaru Sarutobi.

A boy he was not. Young Konohamaru had grown to be an exceptional shinobi, with the help of his mentor. His brown hair stood on end as it always had, with his headband taking the place of the goggles adorned by him as a child. He wore a black formal outfit appropriate for the funeral of the great Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails, though his katana was still strapped to his back. No matter the occasion, he would never be caught without his trusty weapon, its black sheath glinting as the light from the moon and the stars reflected off of the rain that covered it. A prominent scar stood out against his skin. It started on his left cheek and stretched across his face, disappearing under his headband. His left eye was always nearly closed thanks to the savage injury that had provided him with this memento.

'Sensei...' He thought. Konohamaru had trained under Naruto for years. But more of this funeral bothered him than the death of his beloved teacher. Naruto was strong; even stronger than his father Minato. And he was certainly stronger than Konohamaru's own grandfather, Hiruzen Sarutobi. If one man could kill Naruto, then how could they hope to stop the team that he commanded? They couldn't. No one could. The Fifth Shinobi World War was going to come.

Next to Konohamaru stood one of the finest ninja in Konohagakure, Strider Watari. His black hair was plastered to his face as the rain thoroughly soaked it. He could have resolved this with just a single hand seal, but it seemed appropriate. He kept his hands tucked snugly into his pockets and stared into the eyes of the picture of their beloved Hokage. Strider was the only person here not wearing the black clothing that seemed to be mandatory for this occasion. Instead, he wore his standard shinobi attire, a purple coat with a fur collar whiter than snow. The collar was unnecessarily high, reaching the top of his head easily. Of course, it wasn't unnecessary for his homeland. The Land of Snow was a brutal place. His hands were covered by long black gloves, and his pants and sandals were black, so he wasn't completely out of place.

Strider took his hand from his pocket and swept his wet hair across his forehead, then returned it to it's home in his jacket pocket. Strider wouldn't admit just how upset he truly was. Fortunately, the mask covering the lower portion of his face helped to conceal his sadness quite nicely. He was able to stand there with an unaffected look in his dark eyes.

'Who the hell's going to fill in now?' He thought to himself. This was a huge concern to him. With the Hokage dead, **_he_**was almost certain to make his move. And the village would be defenseless. The Daimyo... He didn't care. He didn't give a damn about these people! All he wanted was to stay in power. But didn't the fool realize that to do that, he would need the Hidden Leaf Village to be as strong as possible? Strider clenched his fists inside of his pockets and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose.

Three shinobi stood far from the front of the line as the eerie silence covered the crowd. These people were not natives, but one of them considered Naruto a very close friend. A half formed dome of sand covered a man dressed in black with purple makeup covering his face, a blonde woman with a large fan strapped to her back, and a mysterious man with red hair and dark eyes; The Kazekage - Gaara of the Sand.

Gaara looked at the casket of his close friend with tears building up in the corners of his eyes, which was quite unlike him. His brother Kankuro looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

'I've never seen Gaara like this.' He thought to himself as he fidgeted with the puppet strapped to his shoulder. His hands were shaking as a sense of rage resonated from his reformed serial killer of a brother.

"He was my friend..." Gaara said with his frighteningly deep voice, only loud enough for his two siblings to hear. "And yet all I could do was look out for myself."

His sister placed her hand on his shoulder and spoke in as sweet a tone as she could manage.

"It's not your fault, Gaara. You couldn't have abandoned the village. Not when such a great danger was coming."

Gaara's eyes opened widely as he spun his body towards his sister, his arm extended towards her. As his hand reached her, a string of sand came down from the roof of their shelter and wrapped around Temari's throat. She was lifted off the ground, and beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as she struggled for air. Almost immediately after his rage inspired attack was initiated, a pair of wooden arms wrapped around Gaara, manipulated by his brother. Kankuro looked at the many faces staring at them.

"We should go." He said. The three sand ninja then slipped away into the night.

Shikimaru stood in the front line as well, Ino's arms wrapped around his own. She looked at the ground sadly as she let her grip say what she couldn't.

"Could ya loosen up on my arm?" Shikimaru said to her quietly. She let go of his arm and crossed her hands in front of her.

Shikimaru stared at the casket of his friend. He didn't like funerals. He'd been to far too many in his time, including the one of his sensei, Asuma Sarutobi; his father; and his best friend, Chouji Akimichi.

'What a drag.' He thought to himself. 'With Naruto dead, we've got no one who can hold **_them_**off. We're sitting ducks.'

Shikimaru closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Dammit!" He said aloud, causing everyone to look at him. Unable to deal with everything going on, he formed a single seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Many faces familiar to Naruto Uzumaki made up this crowd. Among them were Neji Hyuuga, Tenten, Might Gai, Kurenai Yuhi, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inazuka, and many others; though one very important face was missing.

Sakura sat on the floor of her empty house, her hands cradling her head. Tears streamed down her face, and her loud weeping echoed through the halls. Naruto was gone. Sasuke had been dead for years. Kakashi sensei had gone missing, but Sakura was sure he was dead. Sai too had simply vanished one day. Sakura was the last remaining member of Team 7. Her long pink hair fell around her face, and the picture of old Team Seven had been smashed against a wall. There was no Team Seven. There was only Sakura Haruno. It was too much. She couldn't stand it.

Not wanting to stand, Sakura crawled across the cold floor, crying all the while. She reached a dresser, on which rested a kunai holster. She took a single razor sharp knife from it and held it in her hand. She rocked back and forth on her knees, remembering all the times Team Seven had shared. Naruto was so wild back then. But recently, she'd started feeling differently towards him. Of course, that didn't matter now. Naruto was dead. She held the kunai to her stomach and placed her head against the wall.

"DAMN THAT HOKAGE!" The dark silhouette of a man screamed from the corner of his cave hideout. He clutched his ribs, which had for the most part been caved in. A woman stood over him, her glowing green hands doing everything in their power to fix the injuries given to him by the great Naruto Uzumaki. Not many men these days could stand up and say "I took on The Sixth Hokage's Rasengan uninterrupted and lived to tell about it." And right now, Yonoku wished that he hadn't been able to either.

"DAMN YOU, NARUTO! He screamed. This Yonoku person had done it. Taken on Naruto and won. On top of that, he survived. His plan would be carried out. Unfortunately, it would be a while. Naruto had put up quite the fight, and left Yonoku near death himself.

"When the time comes, I will have my way. I will be the victor." He said to the shinobi attempting to fix his broken body.

Chapter One: Martyrs Die Many Times

Strider stood in the middle of the open floor in the Hokage's office, his hands tucked into his pockets. A half eaten cup of ramen sat on the edge of the desk, and Strider had no questions about who it belonged to. His half sleeved coat still covered him, despite the indoor temperature. It had been a while since he had seen the Kage's office, but now it seemed he would be getting to know it quite well.

Strider stood with his head bowed before a frail old man and woman. Like always, his hands were tucked snugly into the pockets of his jacket. He had been called here before the elders only moments before. Strider was very keen on punctuality. Neji Hyuuga stood at the entrance of the room to serve as a witness as the two elders spoke to Strider.

"Strider Watari," The woman said. "You have served the Hidden Leaf Village for nearly twelve years now, correct?" She asked the question out of courtesy, as the two already knew nearly everything about him. Nearly.

"Yes." Strider said, not looking up from the floor.

"And your skill set is something we have not seen in many, many years." The man said.

Strider wouldn't agree to this. Arrogance was something he hated most in people. But he had managed to stay alive this long, and after facing many powerful opponents. That was all he needed to know. He was good enough to stay alive.

The two elders looked at him, awaiting at least a sign of acknowledgement. When none was given, the woman spoke again.

"Strider Watari, it is the daimyo's will that YOU serve as acting Hokage for the time being."

Strider looked up from the wooden floor, maintaining an expressionless face. This wasn't what he had in mind when he had brought up the topic of a fill in at the Jounin meeting, but at least they hadn't asked him to serve as fully fledged Hokage. That would have pissed Strider off to no end. But what do you do with the village elders? "GO TO HELL, YOU OLD SHREW!" wouldn't quite work.

"If it's the will of the daimyo," Strider said to the woman. "Then I'll do it."

"Excellent." The old man said with a wide grin.

Strider couldn't help feeling like he'd fallen for a cleverly thought out scheme, but he'd have to be a part of it for the Land of Fire to stay strong. That was the most important thing to Strider; keeping his new home safe.

After he fell into the chair behind the Hokage's great desk, he spun the chair to look out the window behind him. The village seemed much less active than it usually was. Of course, that was to be expected when most of the people were still in mourning. It had only been two days since Naruto Uzumaki's funeral. Come to think of it, Strider hadn't seen Sakura Haruno in a few days. She wasn't at the funeral. She'd disappeared after learning that Naruto was dead.

"Finding her will have to be at the top of my list of priorities." He said to the empty room.

The wind outside blew the leaves from the trees in the forest and carried them across the village, and Strider longed to be standing in the way of the wonderful breeze. Fresh air, Strider loved it. Much more than being locked up in this dark office. Trying to take his mind off of it, Strider spun his chair back around to the desk and looked over it. There were countless documents covering it, and many had simply been swept onto the floor by the late Hokage. Strider smiled at the peculiar attitude of Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto wouldn't stand for this drab office work, and neither would Strider.

"To hell with this." Strider said as he pushed his chair back and stood. He tucked his hands into his pockets and left the room. He followed the hallway to a set of stairs that would lead him to the roof. However as he placed his foot down on the first step, a voice called out to him.

"Strider!" It echoed through the hallway.

Strider turned to see Konohamaru walking towards him. He was wearing his standard shinobi gear, which consisted of a green flak jacket over a long sleeved black shirt with the whirlpool insignia on the sleeves. It was clear by the expression on his face that he was tending to business.

"Yes?" Strider said in his usual calm voice. He wasn't going to let Konohamaru know that he was acting Hokage. What if he tried to make him go back to the office?

"What are you doing out here?" He asked. "You're supposed to be..."

Strider hushed him with his hand as he looked around the hallway, making sure no one had heard.

"I know what I'm supposed to be." He said as he took his hand away from Konohamaru's mouth. "But I'm not staying in that office all day. I didn't become a shinobi to have a desk job."

Konohamaru grinned at his comrade's attitude. It was similar to that of his old teacher. Maybe that was why he'd been asked to serve as the acting Hokage's personal aide?

"Well," Konohamaru spoke quietly. "How does a little challenge sound?"

"What did you have in mind?" Strider asked as he smiled under his mask.

"A quick sparring session. If you win, we go where you want. I'll get one of the others to do your paperwork. If I win, we go to Ichiraku and I get one of the others to do your paperwork." Konohamaru reached for the handle of his katana as he lightheartedly issued the challenge.

"You're on." Strider said, grinning so widely that Konohamaru could see it through his mask.

As the two shinobi walked up the stairs, Strider spoke to Konohamaru.

"Are there any restrictions?"

"Obviously killing one another wouldn't be necessary. Other than that, anything goes." Konohamaru said smiling.

"Alright." Strider said after a few seconds of silence. As he said this, the two shinobi stepped onto the roof. The breeze felt wonderful, blowing the fur on his jacket around wildly.

The two men faced each other, standing only a few feet apart. Konohamaru took a Shuriken from his pouch and gently tossed it into the air. The shinobi locked eyes as the piece of steel fell toward the ground. As soon as the iron weapon clanked onto the ground, they shot away from one another. Konohamaru started a string of hand seals, but Strider had already finished his. Amazingly, after just four seals, a large jet of water in the shape of a dragon shot at Konohamaru. Konohamaru only had time to draw his sword and cut the head of the dragon in half. He then sheathed it and made three simple seals.

Upon completion, two clones appeared by Konohamaru, who spun their hands around a blue spiraling ball in his own. The ball grew larger and larger as the clones hands moved faster.

"Giant Rasengan!" Konohamaru shouted as he ran at Strider.

Strider formed two seals, and a great wall of water appeared before him; as Konohamaru grew closer and closer, Strider made two more. The wall hardened into a thick ice barrier. Konohamaru, however, didn't appear to be backing down. He threw the great ball in his hand into the ice wall, leaving a huge crater in it, but it wasn't enough to burst through it completely. Strider leapt through the air over his barrier as he formed another unbelievably short set of seals. The ice at the top of the wall began to bend, shooting down at Konohamaru.

Konohamaru jumped away from the incoming ice, but Strider's quick thinking let him keep the role of the aggressor. A layer of ice on the side of the wall facing away from Konohamaru melted and silently rushed toward his feet. As it reached him, Strider made another string of seals, which caused the water to form a wall of spikes that plunged toward Konohamaru. Konohamaru made seals of his own, which brought a wall of stone up in front of him. Much to his surprise, the water plunged through the stone, and inches of them stuck from the other side.

'Amazing!' Konohamaru thought. He'd never seen Suiton overpower Doton. Of course, this was only a C-Rank Doton technique. It'd cost a bit of chakra, but Konohamaru needed to see what his opponent was made of. The waterlogged earth that he had tried to use to block the water would serve this purpose nicely. With a few seals, the mud took on the shape of a dragon's head. It opened its mouth widely and fired globs of mud at Strider.

Strider could have easily used the water inside the earth to turn it against his opponent, but this was an A-Rank Doton technique. Not many ninja would use such a powerful Doton jutsu against a Suiton user. Konohamaru was testing him. He shot a volley of ice spikes at the mud balls that had been launched at him, which then melted and became nothing more than bullets of water. The water bullets plunged through the mud projectiles and grew wider at the end, causing the earth to spread out and fly in every direction. As soon as the projectiles were destroyed, Strider made four familiar seals again. The water bullets came together and formed a dragon made of water.

"Dammit!" Konohamaru shouted as the dragon came at him. He leapt to the right, just barely out of the way of the dragon.

'For his water to overpower my earth...' Konohamaru thought. 'That had to be higher than an S-Rank! An SS-Rank? Is that even possible? Maybe this guy's that good.'

Konohamaru darted at Strider, his sword raised at his opponent. Strider tried to sidestep, but Konohamaru quickly passed his guard and swept his sword across Strider's hamstring. Konohamaru then held his sword at his opponent's throat. Though much to his surprise, Strider fell into a puddle of water, and Konohamaru knew he'd been tricked. The water at Konohamaru's feet rose into the air around him and came together, forming an inescapable sphere of water.

'What the hell?!' Konohamaru thought. 'A water prison without contact!' This was incredible.

Konohamaru raised his arm inside of the water prison, indicating forfeit. Strider let the water fall away, and Konohamaru fell onto his feet. This was a quick fight, but Konohamaru knew that Strider was holding back a great deal. And why the hell was this guy not even breathing hard? Konohamaru had seen him use an SS-Ranked technique, at least. And not even a bead of sweat? But that gave Konohamaru more respect for this guy's true power.

"Come on." Strider said to Konohamaru. "Let's go get some ramen."

"So, Naruto's really gone, then?" The cloaked shinobi asked Strider, who was standing to his left. They stood on top of the giant head of Naruto Uzumaki carved into Hokage Mountain.

"Yes." Strider said to the mysterious man at his side. "Yonoku killed him."

The man lowered his slightly. The death of the late Hokage struck him like a blow to the chest. After a moment of silence, he slipped the hood off of his head. Silvery-white hair leaning to the side stood out against his black headband, which covered his left eye. He too wore a mask covering the lower half of his face.

"What should we do, Kakashi?" Strider asked.

"A tournament." Kakashi replied. "Open to anyone. Criminal status will be ignored. And the Kage will be too preoccupied with it to launch an attack against us. It will also undoubtedly call one of Yonoku's allies to us. They can't be apprehended at the tournament, but they will be given an escort out of the Land of Fire. As soon as he steps foot out of our homeland, he'll be apprehended."

"What if Yonoku himself attends?" Strider asked, genuinely concerned. "He nearly matched me in Ninjutsu, Kakashi. And unlike me, he is skilled in other areas."

Kakashi thought for a moment. "I'll be there." He said as he reached for his pouch.

Satisfied with the answer, Strider smiled under his mask before another question crossed his mind.

"How will we ensure that the Kage attend?" Strider asked his comrade.

"We'll prey on their egos. You openly announce that you will fight any two of them simultaneously."

Strider showed no signs of concern. If he could keep them at range, his ninjutsu would easily overpower them. At least he hoped.

"And besides, that technique I taught you should come in handy." Kakashi smiled at Strider as he took his book from his pouch and placed it in Strider's hand.

"Show this to Gai." He said. "And Kurenai. We'll need both of them to know exactly what our plans are."

"Right." Strider said as he slipped the book into his jacket.

"And Strider," Kakashi said as he pulled his hood over his head again. Strider looked at Kakashi.  
"Be careful." After saying this, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

Strider looked out at the village and smiled. 'If they only knew what we're doing to keep them safe.' He thought.


End file.
